Illuminating sleeve for a cigar lighter, in particular for a motor vehicle

ABSTRACT

The illuminating sleeve includes a rear face which is covered by an opaque mask.

The present invention relates to cigar lighters, especially for a motorvehicle, and more particularly it relates to the illuminating sleevewhich is part of such a cigar lighter, of the kind which is described,for example, in the document FR-A-2 630 057.

Such a cigar lighter (FIG. 1) comprises a lighter body 1 which serves toreceive a heating plug 2, and an illuminating sleeve 7 which is lit byoperation of the switch for the lights and indicators of the vehicle.

The body of the illuminating sleeve 7 is provided on its front face withan illuminating collar portion 8 that surrounds the mouth of the lighterbody 1, which is provided with a bimetal fastening element (which has noreference numeral).

The sleeve 7 serves for fastening the cigar lighter to a fixed wall P ofthe vehicle, such as the fascia or console of the latter.

The lighter body 1 is mounted within the sleeve 7.

The plug 2 is lodged within the body 1, and includes a grasp covermember 9, which surrounds an annular body 10 having an accessible frontface 14.

This body 10 is the body of a part 17, which is movable against a spring20 that bears on a fixed guide 21 fixed to a ring member 11, which isformed with apertures 12.

The rear end portion 6, in the form of a finger, of the sleeve 7 ismounted in facing relationship to a window 5 of an opaque housing 3which is carried by the finger 6.

This housing 3 includes a light source, which in this example is anelectric light bulb 4.

In this example, the ring member 11 is opaque, and the apertures 12allow light to pass through, the collar portion 8 being illuminated whenthe light 4 is lit. The body 10 is of a material which transmits lightso that the light rays R from the apertures 12 are incident on theposterior face 13 of the body 10, and are refracted towards the frontface 14.

When the body 10 is pushed in, the terminal shroud (not indicated with areference numeral), which contains a heating resistance, comes intoengagement with the bimetal fastening element so as to complete anelectric circuit and heat up the heating resistance.

In a modified version, the cover member 9 may be omitted and the collarportion 8 may be visible.

In all cases, the rear zone of the illuminating sleeve acts as a lightguide, and unwanted light is emitted towards the rear of the lighterbody.

This light may be reflected by any part whatever of the fascia ortransverse bulkhead of the vehicle, so as to emit undesirable lightrays.

An object of the present invention is to overcome this drawback in asimple and inexpensive way.

According to the invention, an illuminating sleeve of the type describedabove is characterised in that the rear face of the illuminating sleeveis covered with an opaque mask.

This arrangement enables the emission of undesirable light rays to beavoided in a simple and inexpensive way.

In addition, more uniform luminosity is obtained in the region of theend collar portion of the illuminating sleeve which can be seen by theoccupant of the vehicle. The mouth into which the plug is introduced isthus perfectly visible.

The mask may be made from a film which is deposited hot on the rear faceof the illuminating sleeve. In another version, it may be in the form ofpaint deposited on the rear face of the illuminating sleeve, or of anopaque material which constitutes the rear face proper.

The following description illustrates the invention with reference tothe attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in axial cross section of a cigar lighter in accordancewith the document FR-A-2 630 057;

FIG. 2 is a view of the illuminating sleeve in accordance with theinvention.

For simplicity those elements which are common to the prior art and tothe present invention will be given the same reference signs.

Thus, FIG. 2 shows at 7 the illuminating sleeve which is fixed on thefixed wall P of the vehicle, being inserted into the aperture 32 in thewall P, which is for example the fascia of the vehicle or a console ofthe latter.

In a modification it may consist of the transverse bulkhead of thevehicle.

The sleeve 7 is of a translucent, or even transparent, material, and ispreferably of a synthetic material. It may for example be based oncrystal polycarbonate or another material.

The sleeve 7 has a front collar portion 8 which is visible and which isin engagement on the fixed wall P. In this example, the sleeve is in twocolours, with its collar portion 8 being of a material different fromthat of the body of the sleeve 7. This may be achieved by over-moulding.

The collar portion 8 is of a selected translucent coloured materialwhich enables the light to be well homogenised in the region of thevisible face of the illuminating sleeve. The sleeve 7 may of course bemade of only one material.

The sleeve has a rear end portion 6 in the form of a claw having sliderelements for fitting to it, in the manner of a drawer, a lamp housingcontaining an electric bulb, the housing being opaque and formed with awindow which is directed into the inside of the sleeve in a mannersimilar to the arrangement described in FIG. 1. The rear face 31 of thesleeve is inclined.

The internal bore of the sleeve 7 serves for receiving the lighter bodyof FIG. 1.

As will have been understood, light is able to be emitted from the rearface 31 of this sleeve, in a direction away from the fixed wall P of thevehicle.

This light may be reflected by any part of the fascia or transversebulkhead of the vehicle, and may give rise to undesirable emission oflight rays.

In this connection, the invention proposes, in order to overcome thisdisadvantage, to cover the rear face 31 with an opaque mask 30. In thisexample the mask 30 is on the rear face 31 as well as the rear face ofthe end portion 6, the latter being in the form of fingers which serveto support the housing which contains the electric bulb or another lightsource.

This mask may consist of opaque paint deposited on the rear face 31 ofthe sleeve 7 and the rear face of the end portion 6. The deposit may beeffected for example by hot printing, offset printing or screen processprinting. In another version, it may consist of an opaque film depositedhot on the rear face 31 of the sleeve 7. In a further version, thesleeve 7 may be made of a plurality of materials, and may include in theregion of its rear face 31 a zone of an opaque material whichconstitutes the rear face proper. In another version, it may consist ofan opaque film moulded on the rear face 31.

The invention prevents the unwanted emission of light in a directionaway from the fixed wall P of the vehicle, and the collar portion 8 ofthe sleeve 7 is homogenised due to the minimisation of light losseswhich are obtained by virtue of the invention.

In addition, driving safety of the vehicle is improved.

The rear end portion 6 may of course be offset axially with respect tothe rear face 31.

Thus, it can be that the rear face of the end portion 6 is not anextension of the rear face 31.

In general terms, the rear face is illuminated by the light source,either directly as in FIG. 1, or indirectly.

I claim:
 1. An illuminating sleeve for a cigar lighter, in particularfor a motor vehicle, including a front face in the form of a collarportion, a rear end portion on the illuminating sleeve, a light sourcefor illuminating said rear end portion wherein the invention comprises arear face, and an opaque mask for the rear face of the illuminatingsleeve to attenuate light transmission through the rear face.
 2. Anilluminating sleeve according to claim 1, characterized in that the maskfurther comprises an opaque mask for the rear end portion of theilluminating sleeve.
 3. An illuminating sleeve according to claim 1,characterized in that the mask comprises an opaque paint on the rearface of the sleeve.
 4. An illuminating sleeve according to claim 1,characterized in that the mask comprises an opaque film deposited hot onthe rear face of the sleeve.
 5. An illuminating sleeve according toclaim 1, wherein the rear face further comprises a zone of opaquematerial.
 6. An illuminating sleeve according to claim 1, characterizedin that the mask comprises an opaque film molded on the rear face of theilluminated sleeve.